The Rime of The Ancient Mariner by: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

1. The Rime of The Ancient Marinerby: Samuel Taylor Coleridge Andrew Go Jeffrey Hu Matt Ha

2. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The western wave was all a-flame,The day was well nigh done!Almost upon the western waveRested the broad bright sun;When that strange shape drove suddenlyBetwixt us and the sun.And straight the sun was flecked with bars,(Heaven's Mother send us grace!)As if through a dungeon-grate he peeredWith broad and burning face.Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)How fast she nears and nears!Are those her sails that glance in the sun,Like restless gossameres?Are those her ribs through which the sunDid peer, as through a grate?And is that Woman all her crew?Is that a Death? and are there two?Is Death that Woman's mate?Her lips were red, her looks were free,Her locks were yellow as gold:Her skin was as white as leprosy,The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,Who thicks man's blood with cold.The naked hulk alongside came,And the twain were casting dice;`The game is done! I've won! I've won!'Quoth she, and whistles thrice.The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out:At one stride comes the dark;With far-heard whisper o'er the sea,Off shot the spectre-bark. We listened and looked sideways up!Fear at my heart, as at a cup,My life-blood seemed to sip!The stars were dim, and thick the night,The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white;From the sails the dew did drip - Till clomb above the eastern barThe horned moon, with one bright starWithin the nether tip.One after one, by the star-dogged moon,Too quick for groan or sigh,Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,And cursed me with his eye.Four times fifty living men,(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,They dropped down one by one.The souls did from their bodies fly, - They fled to bliss or woe!And every soul it passed me by,Like the whizz of my crossbow!" • Part III"There passed a weary time. Each throatWas parched, and glazed each eye.A weary time! a weary time!How glazed each weary eye - When looking westward, I beheldA something in the sky.At first it seemed a little speck,And then it seemed a mist;It moved and moved, and took at lastA certain shape, I wist.A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!And still it neared and neared:As if it dodged a water-sprite,It plunged and tacked and veered.With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,We could nor laugh nor wail;Through utter drought all dumb we stood!I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,And cried, A sail! a sail!With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,Agape they heard me call:Gramercy! they for joy did grin,And all at once their breath drew in,As they were drinking all.See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more!Hither to work us weal;Without a breeze, without a tide,She steadies with upright keel!

3. Literal sense • It was a discomforting and tiresome moment. Everyone was parched and tired. We saw something to the west and it was moving back and forth. It was another ship! We were so parched that we couldn’t scream or say anything. So I bit my lips and used the blood to moisten them and screamed! Everyone heard my voice and saw the ship as well and rejoiced in the finding. The sun was setting, but the ship was still strangely heading towards us. We see that it is a ghost ship and it contains a life-in-death figure of a lady and death himself. Her lips were red, hair was blonde, and she had skin as if she was dead. Death and L-the Life-in-death figure were playing a game of dice in front of us. Life-in-death lady won and we are scared out of our minds. However, nothing happens. The moon and stars come out and then something happened. Everyone started dying, one by one. Everyone loses breathe and looks dead then dies and they all stare at me before they die as if to blame me for bringing on the trouble to the ship.

4. Literal Sense • Everyone was stranded on a boat for a couple of days and the mariner spotted a ship out on the west. He doesn’t know what it is but the shape starts to focus and he knows what it is. It’s a ship and he wants to call out to it. But his mouth Is so dry that he can’t speak, so he bites his arm and uses his blood as a moistener. He lets everyone know that he sees a sail and everyone rejoices. The ship gets closer to them as the sun sets and the ship has a ghoulish appearance as it blocks out the sun. It’s a ghost ship and there is Death and Life-in-Death figure on the ship. They play a game to determine who controls the fate of the stranded men. The life-in-death lady wins and the men are scared; however, nothing happens and night falls. The ship disappears. A moon comes up in the shape of a horn and a star appears right next to it. Suddenly, everyone starts to die and stares at him before they die. Their souls passing him like a crossbow.

5. Diction • The words and vocabulary used in The Rime of The Ancient Mariner are formal and very descriptive. However, it wasn’t too formal like the language in Beowulf. The descriptions create a colorful descriptive picture in the readers mind and makes them feel like they’re there. • Example: “With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could nor laugh nor wail; Through utter drought all dumb we stood! I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, A sail! a sail!” • There were some connotations in the poem such as reference to a city. For Example: “The western wave was all a-flame, The day was well nigh done! Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright sun; When that strange shape drove suddenly Betwixt us and the sun.”This example connotes the west with Britain because that is where they came from and was stranded from.

6. Diction • There were some etymology of some of the unused words today are still the same. It’s just that we barely use these wordsfor example: Alas, alongside, o’er, thrice, hither, etc.

7. Tone and Mood • The tone and mood seen in the poem represent those of suffering/pain, confusion, joy, suspense, and frightfulness. However, the author establishes mostly fear through the use of twisted/dark descriptions. For example: The mariner who bit his lips and used blood for moistening his lips and the game of dice between Death and Life-in-Death lady. • There are an abundant amount of emotions seen throughout the poem. There is fear as stated before and sometimes joy. For example: When the stranded people find a boat and are overjoyed. Some other moods sensed in the poem is confusion/suspense. For Example: The sailors find a ship but don’t know why it’s coming towards them when the sun is setting and when the Life-in-Death figure wins the game of dice but nothing happens.

8. Tone and Mood • There was no irony within the poem, it was pretty straightforward. • The mood that I felt while reading the poem was “creeped out” due to the descriptive words used to describe the ship and figures in the poem. The poem left me just wondering what would happen. • Coleridge successfully makes the mood creepy and fearful.

9. Rhetorical Situation • The speaker of the poem is the Mariner. The Mariner is telling about the situation he and his crew are in. Him and his crew are stuck on a boat and are in need of rescue. • The Mariner is speaking directly to the audience from a first person view. • This allows the audience to truly imagine what is going on from his point of view.

10. Figurative Language • The poem contains personification which is attributing human qualities to an inanimate object or an abstract concept. • Ex: “And straight the Sun was flecked with bars, (Heaven's Mother send us grace !) As if through a dungeon-grate he peered With broad and burning face.” • The poet gave the sun a face.

11. Imagery • The poem has a lot of imagery • It has mainly the sense of sight. • “At first it seemed a little speck,And then it seemed a mist ;It moved and moved, and took at lastA certain shape, I wist.” • “A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist !And still it neared and neared :As if it dodged a water-sprite,It plunged and tacked and veered.” • “And straight the Sun was flecked with bars,(Heaven's Mother send us grace !)As if through a dungeon-grate he peeredWith broad and burning face.” • “Her lips were red, her looks were free,Her locks were yellow as gold :Her skin was as white as leprosy,” • It also has the sense of taste • “I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,And cried, A sail ! a sail !” An example of symbolism would be when the narrator talks about the night falling, and the mysterious Ghost Ship ("spectre bark") sailing away. This symbolizes death that is about to happen to the Mariner and his shipmates.

12. Does it have rhyme, either exact or approximate repetition of a final sound? At first it seemed a little speck, And then it seemed a mist; It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it neared and neared: As if it dodged a water-sprite, It plunged and tacked and veered. With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,We could nor laugh nor wail;Through utter drought all dumb we stood!I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,And cried, A sail! a sail!

13. Does it use repetition of sounds, words, lines, refrains? At first it seemed a little speck, And then it seemed a mist; It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it neared and neared: As if it dodged a water-sprite, It plunged and tacked and veered With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could nor laugh nor wail; Through utter drought all dumb we stood! I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, A sail! a sail! With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Agape they heard me call: Gramercy! they for joy did grin, And all at once their breath drew in, As they were drinking all.

14. Does it contain alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds, particularly initial consonants (the first sound in a word), either within or between lines? See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more! Hither to work us weal; Without a breeze, without a tide, She steadies with upright keel! The western wave was all a-flame, The day was well nigh done! Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright sun; When that strange shape drove suddenly Betwixt us and the sun

15. Is there assonance: the repetition of a vowel sound in a line or passage? Her lips were red, her looks were free, Her locks were yellow as gold: Her skin was as white as leprosy, The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she, Who thicks man's blood with cold. See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more!Hither to work us weal;Without a breeze, without a tide,She steadies with upright keel! The naked hulk alongside came,And the twain were casting dice;`The game is done! I've won! I've won!'Quoth she, and whistles thrice

16. Are any of the words onomatopoeic? At first it seemed a little speck, And then it seemed a mist; It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it neared and neared: As if it dodged a water-sprite, It plunged and tacked and veered. With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,We could nor laugh nor wail;Through utter drought all dumb we stood!I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,And cried, A sail! a sail Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)How fast she nears and nears!Are those her sails that glance in the sun,Like restless gossameres?

17. Is the effect of these devices cacophony: harsh or discordant sounds, or euphony: pleasing, harmonizing sounds? Mostly harsh and discordant. The naked hulk alongside came, And the twain were casting dice; `The game is done! I've won! I've won!' Quoth she, and whistles thrice. Four times fifty living men,(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,They dropped down one by one.

18. Does it have standard form? • The poem is structured in standard form; it has rhymes and stanzas –the basic forms of a poem.

19. It has stanzas. • Coleridge divides the poem into seven parts. It consists of the stanzas in the poem and most of them have four lines; several have five or six lines.

20. Rhyme Pattern • In the four-line stanzas, the second and fourth lines usually rhyme. In the five- and six-line stanzas, the second or third line usually rhymes with the final line.